I have recently posted about my Steam Deck which I use as a portable console, but that is not my only one.
It is redundant to have two portable handheld computers, but there is a reason. All my computers are Mac, and mac sucks for gaming.
It is even more redundant because both the Legion Go S and the Steam Deck run Linux, as Linux is current the best OS for playing games due to better performance and stability.
I had bought the Steam Deck first and it was awesome, but not powerful enough to be used as a desktop gaming computer. The deck runs great in handheld because 800p is good at a small screen, I can even snipe enemies far away in Hell Let Loose, so the low resolution works.
The problem with the deck is when I want to plug an external 1080p monitor, it just does not have the power to drive higher resolutions at good framerates.
Thus, the Legion Go S!
The Legion Go S with the Z1 Exreme processor has 32GB of RAM (double from Deck), 8 core 16 threads (double from deck) and 12 Compute Units for the GPU (50% more than the deck) but what matters the most is two lesser talked about specs:
- It is a more modern litography node, meaning it has better performance at the same wattage
- It has a 33w power usage limit unplugged and 40w when plugged on the charger, the Steam Deck is limited to 15w always!
That extra power and efficiency allows the Legion Go S to, in practice, sometimes delivery double the performance from the Steam Deck.
Plus, because the Legion uses GLORIOUS LINUX it runs much better than what a Windows handheld (such as the Xbox/ROG Ally X) would run at similar specs. Linux is great for gaming!
What I dislike about the Legion Go S is that it does not have a trackpad (very useful for FPS games) and it is a bit heavier and bigger. Because of the physical and controller differences I found myself actually using the Legion as a desktop!
Because Mac computers suck for gaming I just plug the Legion on a monitor, connect my keyboard and mouse and literally simply use it as a desktop. I can talk to my friends over on Discord, listen to music and play games, all at the same.
Of course any real desktop would have a better performance than the Legion, but what matters is that the performance is good enough.
I have been playing the same games on the Steam Deck and on the Legion Go S. Mainly Hell Let Loose and a bit of Overwatch here and there. I played a bit of No Mans Sky recently too and Red Dead Redemption.
The conclusions comparing the Steam Deck and the Legion is that both run at a "similar" framerate at different resolutions.
While the Steam Deck can play Hell Let Loose (the current game I am playing all the time) at around 40 to 50 FPS on low/medium at 800p I found that Legion Go runs at 40 to 50 FPS too on low/medium but at 1080p
So I get a similar performance at similar graphics but at different resolutions. But because I play the deck as a handheld and the legion as a desktop I don't notice the resolution difference because of the small deck screen versus using an external monitor for the legion.
If you want a handheld computer:
My conclusion is, as always: Just get a Steam Deck.
The only reason for me to keep the Legion Go S is because I don't want to buy a desktop nor a laptop. I thought I would replace my Steam Deck with the Legion but the truth is that the Steam Deck is just too good, very portable, comfortable and it has trackpads! (The Legion "has" one tarckpad in theory but it is so small it is USELESS! Because it is smaller than half a fingernail it is as good as not having a trackpad!)
All my computers are Mac and Mac sucks for gaming, so the Legion is my desktop and the Steam Deck is my handheld.
If you have any Linux (or Windows ew) you don't need the Legion, but you will appreciate the portability of the Deck, plus it is usually cheaper. So just get a Steam Deck.